Organic Farming
From the archives: A visit to Sam Neill's Central Otago vineyard
Veteran New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill takes Country Life on a tour of his Central Otago vineyard just before the 2023 season got underway. Audio
Sam Neill - finding balance among the vines
Veteran New Zealand actor Sam Neill returned to his Central Otago vineyard earlier this month to find vines shooting up, pet pigs waiting for a scratch and a young stand of native trees thriving on a… Audio
Horse and plough add French touch to Marlborough vineyard
Best of 2022 - Gordon the Clydesdale has been roped in to help plough between the rows of Churton Vineyard in Marlborough. Video, Audio
Maniototo farmers in high spirits
A hobby has turned into a business for organic Central Otago farmers John and Susie Elliot. They make single malt whisky in the farmyard distillery using their own barley and peat from a local swamp.
…The story behind Durham farms
Durham Farms in Northland mixes crops and livestock, prioritising looking after the environment they are farming in. Adrian Townsend of Durham Farms talks to Jesse about their produce and organic… Audio
25 years of organics - 'We were all rebels in those days'
Cows and dogs as well as people around south east Asia are taking a daily tipple of Kim Baker's organic apple cider vinegar. He is one of New Zealand's earliest organic growers still producing and… Audio
Shedding sheep hot under hammer
Bidding was competitive at the Mt Cass Station Wiltshire Sheep Sale in North Canterbury. Nearly 3500 sheep reached higher than expected prices at Andrew and Sara Heard's farm and were sold to bidders… Audio, Gallery
No Looking Back After Going Organic
Twenty-three years ago Otago farmer Allan Richardson and his wife Sonia decided to start farming their 1300 hectare sheep and beef farm organically. Allan's father Colin, who had bought the farm at… Audio
Farming the Hua Parakore Way
Dr Jessica Hutchings, (Ngai Tahu, Gujarati), is an organic farmer, yoga teacher and "recovering" academic who's written books on Maori food security. She has been a leader of the hua parakore or Maori… Audio
Off the grid: Life on Great Barrier Island during lockdown
Third generation Great Barrier Island resident Tom Daly is living off-the-grid with his wife Beth and three children under six -- Beau (6), Finn (4), Hucks (2). He talks to Jim about how they are all… Audio
Dot Kettle - Peony power
In 2008 Dot Kettle and her partner Georgia Richards ditched their Wellington city jobs for a 42ha property in the Dove Valley in the Tasman region, and began growing peonies. Their business has… Audio
'Organic vet' Dr Paul Dettloff visits NZ
Dr Paul Dettloff was in the country recently to educate farmers and vets about the transition to sustainable practices and homeopathic treatments for cattle infected with Mycoplasma bovis.
Audio, Gallery
Calls for a national standard for organics
Organic industry leaders from the US are pushing for New Zealand to develop a national standard for organics so that the sector can cash in on the thriving market.
Rosamund Young: for the love of cows
Cows are far smarter and more emotionally connected to each other than we give them credit for, says farmer Rosamund Young. Audio
Treading lightly on the soil
Organic farmer Bev Trowbridge believes biological and organic farmers are still viewed as a bit 'whacky' in New Zealand. Audio
Organic farming not 'cute' - Greens
The government needs to stop thinking organic farming is cute and quaint if it wants to compete internationally for the high value organic dollar, says the Green Party.
Food for Thought
When Bruce and Denise McGill began farming organically 30 years ago they found that stock were just as healthy and production levels could be maintained, but they quickly learnt that the organic… Audio
Opting Out of Organics
Mike Moss converted to dairy farming organically 15 years ago. He opted to go organic to take pressure off the farming system, the animals and the people involved and he's enjoyed the premium Fonterra… Audio
Avonstour Farm
John Earney farms rare breeds on his property near Douglas in Eastern Taranaki. He aims to live self-sufficiently and makes ends meet by supplying meat to New Plymouth's Farmers' Market and by running… Audio